Grassley said that he has met a target for support set by McConnell and that senators should take up the legislation by the end of the year, arguing that Republicans could even delay the confirmation of some judicial nominees to create more time.

“All I can say is if McConnell will bring this up, it will pass overwhelmingly,” Grassley said during a “Washington Post Live” event.

The bill, backed by an unusual left-right coalition both inside Capitol Hill and among advocacy networks nationwide, would ease some mandatory minimum sentences and gives judges more flexibility in some cases, while implementing efforts to help rehabilitate prisoners.

Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), who appeared alongside Grassley at the Post event, said support among the 49-member Democratic caucus is “solid,” though he stopped short of guaranteeing that every Democrat would vote for the bill.

Grassley argued that waiting until next year would hurt the chances of passing the bill.

Democrats, who are taking over control of the House, would probably try to make the legislation more liberal, which would cost GOP support in the Senate, he reasoned.

“It seems to me we have an opportunity to deliver,” Grassley said. “It gives Republicans an opportunity to deliver a bipartisan victory for the president of the United States.”

The House has passed a version of the legislation that doesn’t include sentencing changes, but lawmakers there are confident that it would quickly clear their chamber if the Senate does.

Grassley argued that McConnell should give him “some consideration” for his efforts in fulfilling one of his priorities: confirming federal judges.

“I think I’ve delivered pretty well,” Grassley said, referring to his role as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which holds confirmation hearings. “So maybe I should have some consideration for that.”

Grassley argued that it would be a reasonable “trade-off” to delay confirmation of some judges whose nominations are still pending to create more time for passage of the criminal justice bill. Those nominations can be taken up next year, when the Republican majority in the Senate will be larger, he said.

Grassley also said that passage of the legislation could be accomplished more quickly than McConnell envisions.

“He’s told us 10 days,” Grassley said. “This could be done in three or four days real easily.”